Copa America 2016: Three starting positions to watch in U.S. lineup

The rush is on to anoint Pulisic the savior of American soccer, and as much as Pulisic earned the adoration, one cannot overlook his lack if experience.

Zardes has an edge because of his physical presence and overall work rate. Klinsmann puts a premium on fielding a lineup with the defensive capabilities to make things difficult for Colombia, and Zardes covers more ground than any other attacker on the team.

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Is Zardes's defensive work enough? That isn't his only advantage. As fearless as Pulisic looks — and at 17 he has the makings of a future star — he has started a handful of games above the youth level. He showed well in starts for Borussia Dortmund, but he has never started in a meaningful game where his team wasn't the clear favorite.

Does that mean Pulisic can't cut it against Colombia? Not necessarily, but Zardes is better suited to help carry out Klinsmann's game plan in the opening match.

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That said, Pulisic hasn't been a slouch on defense. It is clear that Klinsmann emphasized that part of the job to the youngster. Pulisic showed ability to contribute on offense and defense, which could get his a chance in later games.

Normally, it would seem silly to question whether midfielder Bedoya should start against Colombia, but Nagbe has made a strong case.

Nage has two solid games ahead of Copa, coming off the bench against Bolivia to dazzle with his poise, clean passing and movement. He completed 26 of 28 passes, including the assist on Pulisic's goal. Nagbe completed 59 of 61 passes over the past two matches, providing a goal and assist.

MORE: Bedoya ready to step into spotlight | Nagbe makes his case for starter

So why is Bedoya the choice against Colombia? Experience is key here too. Nagbe has yet to start a national team match, while Bedoya has played in a World Cup and is coming off a strong season in the French league. He played mostly as a winger during his time under Klinsmann, but he has spent more time playing in central midfield in the past year and has made it clear he prefers playing in the middle.

Sure, there might be bad memories from Bedoya's disastrous foray into a defensive midfield role against Brazil last fall, but that is in no way the same thing as the two-way central role Klinsmann has him playing in the 4-3-3. That position plays to Bedoya's strengths, and we saw a glimpse of what he can bring to that role against Bolivia.

Klinsmann is angling toward starting Bedoya in the middle, so he can keep pressure on Colombia's attacking threats in a more consistent way than Nagbe would.

"Ale's role, if it's a wide role or a role more inside, it depends on what system we play, it depends on what is needed, it depends on who we play against and so on," Klinsmann said. "This is always the different pieces that we are discussing up and down because we don't have the luxury to say that we ignore what the opponent is doing and just do what we want. That's not the case.

"We are not Brazil or Argentina or Germany or Spain. We have to have an eye on what Colombia is coming with, with [Juan] Cuadrado or [Carlos] Bacca or James Rodriguez, and then we have to put the pieces together."

Nagbe's strengths, at this point, make him a better option coming off the bench against Colombia, when he could use his attacking qualities to punish a tired Colombia defense. Also, given the amount of work Bedoya would have to put in to try and contain Colombia, Nagbe would be a good option to start against Costa Rica in the second match.

And what of Jermaine Jones? His starting role seems assured, and with his toughness and big-game experience, it seems extremely unlikely Klinsmann won't have him in the lineup against Colombia. In fact, if there is a game the U.S. needs Jones'a bite and attitude in, it is the Colombia match.

When Besler left Saturday's match against Bolivia at halftime, rather than staying in for reps in central defense, the message became clear: Brooks pulled ahead of Besler and is likely to start against Colombia.

Brooks' past shaky outings might be a concern, but this changing of the guard has been inevitable ever since Brooks reestablished himself as a steady regular at Hertha Berlin. Brooks is younger than Besler, equal or better passing the ball, and a more imposing figure on set pieces. Brooks lacks Besler's quickness or his ability to read situations quickly, but Klinsmann is banking on Brooks learning on the job.

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The recent friendlies showed Brooks was more comfortable than we have seen him. His passing was sharp, and he was more aggressive. He worked well with Geoff Cameron against Bolivia, even though the two hadn't been partnered in central defense in almost three years. Sure, Bolivia didn't offer anywhere near the test Colombia will, but we saw enough to suggest a Brooks-Cameron tandem is the best one to go with.

The big concern about that pairing is the lack of matches they have had together. Klinsmann didn't sound overly concerned about the fact Saturday was just their second match together in central defense.

"The fact that they haven't played together that often is down to injuries. It's always down to some other issues," Klinsman said. "Finally, they're both healthy, so I think they're fine-tuning things, they develop a good partnership and hopefully that partnership is very valuable."

We haven't heard the last of Besler. The Copa America schedule has three matches in nine days, and Klinsmann has made it clear he will make lineup changes to cope. Something else to consider: Brooks is prone to injuries, so Besler is an experienced and capable backup.

Perhaps the most interesting takeaway from the Bolivia match was Besler's impressive showing at left back. Klinsmann wouldn't rule out the possibility of doing it again.

"It depends on who is playing on the right for the opponents," Klinsmann said of the possibility of using Besler at left back in Copa America. "When you talk about certain names then you need to have an idea where, OK, maybe you're not throwing Matt in there because he's a 100 percent pure defender that gets the defensive job done and doesn't need to worry about getting forward that much, so you want to have a more attack-minded left back in there."